Princess Jailbait
by Lizzy88
Summary: A month after Lissa is crowned Queen, Jill is still trying to adjust to her new life as a Princess, and Adrian is still trying to cope with the combination of spirit and heartbreak. Their similarities bring them together in a way no one ever expected...
1. Chapter 1

_So this is what it feels like to be a Princess._

PrincessJillian Mastrano- Dragomir carefully straightened her skirts around her, standing awkwardly in the hallway of the Court. Her mandatory high heels were biting into her feet, and her dress was tight and constricting, though even she had to admit it was beautiful. Yards and yards of dark green taffeta embroidered with white lace hung in an off-the-shoulder design by some famous moroi she had never heard of. Her hair, usually down and messily combed, had been straightened into sleek perfection, pulled into an artfully crafted bun that let lose a few curly strands that framed her make-up covered face.

If someone had told her three months ago that she would be attending a royal dinner party on her 16th birthday, she would have laughed in their face. But here she was, steeling herself for her entrance into a room full of the most influential royals around. There was also a rumor of a surprise appearance from her… sister…. Queen Vasilisa Dragomir.

Jill took a deep breath, checked her posture, and approached the two guardians at the entrance to the state room where the dinner party was being held. Their eyes followed her as she moved by them, and she averted eye contact as she passed, knowing what was waiting for her inside the room.

A large group of royals, all proper and prim, were gliding leisurely around the room, laughing quietly and drinking champagne, shaking hands and politely debating politics. _Ugh. _Jill forced a smile as she entered and felt all eyes sweep towards her. Well, all eyes except the watchful ones of the myriad guardians stationed around the room swept towards her. As a new and controversial entity in court, she was something of a celebrity with the royals and subject to many questions and offers of friendship. Sure enough, a man in a suit so expensive she hardly dared look at it was approaching her within seconds of her entrance.

"Princess Dragomir." He had a voice like honey, and on closer inspection he was really very handsome. He handed her a thin, elegant glass of champagne. He looked to be about three years older than her, and his eyes were a deep blue. He was adorable. So of course she was tongue tied. She tried to think back to her mandatory etiquette classes.

_A princess is eloquent._

"Hey." _Shit._

_ A princess is proper_

"What's up?" _No no no!_

_ A princess is graceful._

She took a drink of her champagne and slopped some down her front. The guy smiled and deftly pulled out a silk handkerchief embroidered with the initials _J.Z_

_ "_I'm Jesse Zeklos," He told her as he leaned down and mopped some of the champagne off her chest. She blushed.

"Its… v-very nice to meet you, Jesse." She sat up a little straighter, pushing his hand away from her chest. He was getting frighteningly close to her cleavage.

"And its a definite pleasure to meet you, Princess." He kissed her hand gently, letting his fangs graze her skin. She shivered slightly. Jesse grinned.

"I'd like to get to know you even better…"

"Fuck _off_, Zeklos." A loud voice sounded from behind Jill. She jumped. So did several disdainful people within five feet of Adrian Ishakov, who had approached the pair of them silently from behind.

Jesse bristled. "Watch it, Ishakov. I'm simply welcoming the new princess into society."

"She doesn't need welcoming into your kind of society. Go scurry back to your rat's nest."

Jesse glared at him, but turned and stalked off in the direction of the food. Jill slumped against the mirrored wall and looked gratefully up at Adrian.

"Thanks for that."

He leaned against the wall next to her with his hands in his pockets. "No problem."

Jill looked at him closely. He smelled like alcohol and cigarettes, which was no surprise, but his tousled brown hair, usually artfully styled, was limp and untouched. His gorgeous emerald green eyes were dull. She also noted that instead of his usual expensive suit he was wearing jeans and a v-neck t-shirt. He had an air of unkempt dejectedness about him, and he stared mournfully out at the crowd of moroi.

"Adrian? Are you… are you okay?"

He seemed not to have heard her. An odd look had come over him. "You know what, Jailbait? These people are all pawns."

"Pawns?"

"Pawns. Pawns in the great game of politics that goes on in this place. Its not a clean game though- oh no, its dirty. And its filled with _lies. _And _deceit. _And _heartbreak. _" He clenched his fists together.

"Adrian, I-" She hated to see him so upset. He was usually so quick to joke and laugh, or at least flirt.

"_And _ there's nowhere that those lies and deceit and heartbreak are kept out. Nowhere is safe. You can't trust anyone." Adrian was still rambling. Jill was getting seriously alarmed now.

"Adrian, are you-"

A tall guardian suddenly entered the room, flanked by two others, all marked by the royal crest. The tall one pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it; "Clear!" A stream of guardians filed in, scouting the room warily and flooding into the corners quickly and efficiently. And then, flanked by four stone-faced guardians, came the Queen. Lissa looked radiant as always, her blonde hair swept around her shoulders, her dress of the lightest lavender, shimmering and beautiful. Her boyfriend, Christian Ozera, and Jill's personal offensive magic instructor, had his arm linked with hers, his brilliant blue eyes sparkling. If they were here, that must mean… Jill's eyes raked the guardians closest to them. There- easily spotted even through the crowd due to his height, was Dimitri Belikov, Christian's guardian, looking dangerous and capable, and next to him, her gaze darting between Lissa and Dimitri, was Rose Hathaway, one of Lissa's guardian, and Dimitri's girlfriend. Jill wanted to go up and say hello, but Rose was on duty, and it was best not to disturb her. She did, however, want to say something to her…sister… and Christian. She turned to Adrian, who had gone oddly still.

"Come with me to say hi to them!" She smiled, hoping this distraction would draw him out of his strange mood.

"No."

"Come on, Adrian. Please?"

"No, I-" But it was too late. Lissa and Christian had already made their way over to them, beaming. Dimitri, Rose, and two other guardians, both men, were following them closely.

"Lissa, Christian! How are you doing?" Jill awkwardly hugged her… sister… and Christian.

"Great. I'm really enjoying college." Lissa seemed just as awkward as Jill was feeling, but she attempted one of her dazzling smiles anyway. "And you? Getting used to this all?" She gestured gracefully around the room.

"Not really." Jill grimaced. Christian laughed and turned to Adrian, who was still frozen against the wall, his expression stony. His fingers were twitching in his pocket- most likely praying for a cigarette.

Christian didn't seem to notice (or perhaps didn't care about) his tense stance. "How about you, Ishakov? Holding up? Taking care of little Jill for us?"

"Yes." Adrian's lips barely moved.

Everyone else (minus the guardians) glanced at each other, but it was Lissa who spoke.

"Adrian, are you alright?" She put an arm around his shoulder and steered him away from the rest of the group. Jill watched them go, then saw Lissa's close guard break up. Jill watched them closely. As interested as she was in fighting, she was intrigued by the seamless way the guardians worked. However as she watched the guardians decide who was to break off with Lissa and Adrian, she noticed the first glitch of the night- almost imperceptible. One of the other male guardians of the group- a short, well-built blonde man- signaled for Rose to follow them, but Rose shook her head. The man glared and signaled again. Rose's eyes flicked to Dimitri, who nodded. Sighing, Rose broke off and stayed a close distance from Lissa and Adrian, looking very uncomfortable about her situation.

Jill looked at Christian. He seemed to also have noticed the silent exchange. He was shaking his head as he watched Rose's departing back.

"I don't think those two are ever going to be able to be in the same room together again."

"What?" Jill looked back at Adrian, who had suddenly started gesticulating wildly in Rose's direction. Rose stood, a guardian statue, simply watching Lissa.

Christian sighed. "Rose and Adrian. They had a hard break-up."

Dimitri shifted uncomfortably next to him. Jill felt sorry for him. He and Rose were a truly amazing couple, totally in sync…. but Rose had been with Adrian pretty seriously right before Dimitri came back into her life. Apparently the break-up had been far from mutual. It had only been a month since then… maybe that explained Adrian's upset demeanor tonight.

Christian suddenly straightened. "Happy Birthday Jill. I almost forgot."

"Oh. Thanks, Christian."

Rose and Lissa were back, both looking shocked and hurt. Rose went to stand with the rest of the near guard. Jill saw Dimitri squeeze her hand comfortingly. Christian did the same for Lissa. She looked at the crowd, her face somber. "Adrian left. He yelled at Rose pretty badly…. he won't talk to me since… Well…" She looked pointedly at Rose. Jill was amazed at Rose's ability to keep her face the emotionless guardian mask it was.

"I can go talk to him," Jill said, surprising even herself.

Lissa looked apprehensive. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Bye for now everyone. See you Rose."

Rose gave her a small smile.

Adrian wasn't where Jill had last seen him, but she had a suspicion about where he would be. She checked the bar and just barely caught a glimpse of Adrian's departing figure slipping out the door. She followed, her pumps feeling especially uncomfortable, and exited the state room. It was getting late, and the hallway was empty except for a few guardians patrolling. Jill heard a door slam and jogged after the sound, pulling off her heels as she went. Adrian had exited one of the doors leading to a medium-sized balcony. She stepped outside after him, squinting in the sunlight. She wasn't used to being up this late. Adrian was smoking, leaning on the railing on the balcony, staring at the sun-drenched courtyard below. He looked like an escapee from a Burberry ad. She leaned against the rail next to him. "Hey."

"Hey." He exhaled smoke, making her cough.

"You okay?" She asked.

He turned and smiled down at her. "You just found out you're a princess. Are you okay?"

She repeated what she had said to Lissa; "Not really."

Adrian laughed. He had such a genuine, warm laugh. "Well that's my answer too, Jailbait. Am I okay?" He looked out at the courtyard again, pulling out another cigarette. "Not really."

Jill hesitated. "I'm…. I'm sorry about how things ended between you and Rose."

His head snapped around and he looked down at her again. He stared at her for several tense seconds before he nodded slowly and took a deep pull off his cigarette. "Thanks Jailbait. You really mean that."

"Can you tell that from my aura?" Adrian's spirit element gave him the power to see people's auras.

He laughed again. "No. I've been drinking too much to use my powers." He leaned in closer to her, and she could smell the truth in his words. "I can read you, Jailbait. And you really mean that."

She smiled.

"I can read you're emotions like a book- your face is so open and innocent. Its like you're acting out every feeling you have. Its refreshing." He gave her a sideways look, exhaling smoke over the railing again. "Of course that means you basically suck at being a princess."

"What! How so?"

"Princesses, no scratch that, _everyone _royal needs to be able to hide their emotions. They also need to be able to wear heels." He looked pointedly at her bare feet. She flushed.

"I know. I'm terrible. I'm not cut out for this."

He gave her an odd, calculating look. "No one really is. You just learn to adapt. I grew up with it, so I'm used to it. You though, you need to learn." He paused. "I could teach you."

Jill straightened up. "You could?"

He grinned, showing his fangs. "Sure. Royalty 101. I know everything, even if I choose to disregard it."

"Okay. Sure." She smiled up at him.

"Cool. Lets start tomorrow. You can come to my room whenever. You might have to wake me up, though."

She laughed. "Alright." She turned to leave. "Goodnight, Adrian."

"Night Jailbait."


	2. Chapter 2

2

Jill didn't have much experience in sneaking into boy's rooms. She had never had a boyfriend, and she never really snuck out at all when she was at St. Vladmir's. Though her private lessons at the Court had a very different way of operating than Vladmir's Academy, she was pretty sure that if anyone caught her in Adrian's quarters, they wouldn't be happy. It took her a while to find his room- the maze of chambers and banquet halls that made up the Court's residential wings was hard to navigate- but when she did she knocked quietly. There was no answer, not that she had expected one. She tried to handle, and was unsurprised that it was unlocked. She hesitantly pushed the door inward, and the smell of cigarettes and alcohol assaulted her like a wall. She flicked on the lights, and saw Adrian's outline lying on the bed, completely still. Tiptoeing so as not to wake him, she opened up the curtains, flooding the room with pale moonlight. He still didn't stir. She opened the windows to clear out the scent of stale cigarettes, and then quietly approached Adrian's bed. She could just barely make out the top of his rumbled hair under the layers of blankets.

"Adrian?" She tapped his shoulder. Nothing. "Adrian?" He rolled over. She shook him roughly. "Adrian! Wake up."

"Isittimalready?" He groaned and threw off the blankets, his eyes still closed as he put his feet on the floor and yawned expansively. He was shirtless. Jill's eyes went wide as she took in his well- muscled chest. She quickly tore her gaze away. Adrian stretched and hobbled into the bathroom. Jill could hear him splashing water on his face. He came out in a fresh shirt, his eyes blurry.

"Morning, Jailbait. You ready to be royal?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

He pulled on some shoes and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, let's go."

"Go?" Jill hadn't expected the 'lessons' to actually take place somewhere.

"Yep. We're going to go see someone." He ushered her out the door.

Adrian hadn't led her to a mysterious room for lessons- he had swept her into a small-scale brunch meeting of lower-class royals.

"_What the hell is this_?" She hissed into his ear. He smiled crookedly. "I'm supposed to sit in on some of these as part of my 'duty'. Its low class and key, so we can practice here."

"Practice _what_?"

He chuckled. "Decorum." Without another word he sidled into the room and made some vague introductions before taking his seat at one end of the table, gesturing for Jill to sit next to him. The low-class royals were extremely honored to have the Princess sitting in on their little meeting. As far as Jill could tell they were discussing laws and who they were supporting politics-wise. It sounding like it would be terribly boring. She sat down as they began by reading the minutes. God. Not even five minutes in was already dull as dirt. She fiddled with the cuff of her long sleeves, wondering when it would end. Then she felt something slide tantalizingly and ticklishly up her calf, under her dress. She jumped as if from an electrical shock. What was _that?_ She glanced quickly at Adrian next to her; he was smiling evilly. She felt his toenail slide up her calf again, slower this time. She shuddered involuntarily, suppressing an automatic smile and saw one of the royals shoot a quizzical glance at her. His foot was back- up on her thigh this time. She kicked him- no response. She kicked harder, and her chair squeaked loudly on the marble floor, causing all the royals to stare at her.

"Heh heh. Sorry." She glared at Adrian. What was this supposed to be teaching her, exactly? _Decorum... _Keeping a straight face no matter what's happening around you. He didn't think she could handle this at a high-scale banquet, did he? Thought she had to start here, where no one would care... well she'd show him. She became a statue, and managed to keep her face expressionless as the foot scraped up her leg. She was doing quite well until his hand started creeping up her thigh. Her own hands were folded on the table- she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't react. She jerked a few times, but held it together for a minute or more. Surely he'd stop. He had hiked up her skirt now. His skin was cool on her warm thigh. His hand was moving now, moving-

"_Oh no you don't!_" Jill jumped to her feet, knocking her chair over. Everyone stared in shock at her. Adrian was the picture of surprised innocence, sipping his drink passively.

"I'm sorry. This was a lovely little- um- thing, but I need to be going now." She curtsied and made her way out of the room at a dignified pace, only tripping a little bit on the threshold. She could hear Adrian following her, but she waited until they were out of earshot from the dining room before turning on him.

"Shit! What was that?"

He burst out laughing, collapsing against the wall in mirth.

"WHAT DID THAT ACCOMPLISH!"

He wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "There were other ways you could have handled that situation. A situation that will seem very harmless compared to some of the things you'll hear the royals say; about your friends or family- and have to keep your face expressionless. You could have excused yourself to the bathroom."

"I-bu-meh!"

"Did you just stomp your foot? Maturity, Jailbait. I usually don't notice your age."

"All those people!" She moaned and slumped against the hallway wall.

He shrugged, lighting up another cigarette. "They don't matter."

"They don't matter? How can you say that? And why are you smoking inside?"

"Oh yeah." He dropped the cigarette onto the meticulous carpet and butted it out. Jill frowned.

"I'm not so sure I'll be taking lessons from you anymore."

"Aw, but we were going to play dress-up next."

"Adrian, no." She turned on her heel and started marching off down the hall.

"Come on, Jill!"

She paused. _He called me Jill. _She walked back to him, her hands on her hips. "Fine. One more week. And if I'm not one hundred percent satisfied, I'm not taking any more lessons! Deal?"

He flashed his charm smile. "Deal." They shook on it. "Now," He fiddled with his pack of cigarettes, caught himself, and slipped them back into his pocket. "Now, its time to fix your fashion."

"What's wrong with my fashion? I had a makeover when I got here."

"Psssh. A professional makeover doesn't count. Those old biddies fawning over you and wrapping you in so many layers we can't see that pretty figure? No." Jill blushed. Adrian ignored this and continued. "The young royals have a different fashion. We're going to have to talk to your sister. And tomorrow we'll do something about your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair? Adrian?"

He was walking away, smiling to himself. She caught up with him, tripping on her skirt again. He caught her arm without even looking down. "Thanks. What's wrong with my hair? Adrian? Adrian!"

He just laughed.


End file.
